Home > Bangkok > Thailand's Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok
USD $68.00
Thailand's Ayutthaya Temples and River Cruise from Bangkok
Bangkok, Thailand
Visit the Ayutthaya temples on a cultural day trip from Bangkok, it's a highlight of any Thailand visit. The tour to the ancient capital of Siam includes a trip by riverboat, a must-do activity when you're in Bangkok, with close-up views of the temples and historic sites that line the Chao Phraya River
The Unesco World Heritage site of Ayutthaya is 53 miles (85 kilometers) north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya was a thriving Siamese kingdom from 1350 until 1767, when it was captured by the Burmese. Today, Ayutthaya is know for its spectacular ruins and temples. Many of its temples are still intact, such as Wat Phra Sanphet, Wat Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Panangcherng and Wat Chai Mongkol, known for its large bronze statue of the Reclining Buddha.
You will also see the summer palace of King Rama IV with its mixture of Thai, Chinese and Gothic architecture. The palace is a well-preserved 'museum', providing a glimpse into a time when Thailand was known as Siam.
On your full-day guided excursion from Bangkok you will visit Thailand's former ancient capital by van and returning to Bangkok by boat. During the boat cruise from Ayutthaya you will see temples such as Wat Arun lining the Chao Phraya River.
This tour was excellent. 5-star with respect to logistics, knowledge of the tour staff, quality of the itinerary and execution of the meal. The hotel pick-up and drop-off is a great bonus because it makes it so easy to go. All vehicles had air con. The tour guide had such an incredible amount of knowledge about every part of the tour and about Thailand in general. Everything was on time and the buffet lunch was well thought out and the variety was impressive. The reverence of the temples by the locals is awe inspiring. Please remember to be respectful at the temples. This tour accepts single people, which is nice because not all do. The only thing that took away from the experience was that some of the places had many tourists who did not seem to have the appropriate level of respect for these places. Many people wanted to take pictures of themselves at the temples, rather than the temples themselves. This can be overlooked though and you can really have the tour of a lifetime as I did.
Review by: Kevin H, July 2018
We had a great time.
Review by: Nneka M, June 2018
I'm pretty easy going, so it's rare for me to have a bad time. This is the first time I've had a negative experience on a tour. Skip this company. They failed to pick me up, then caught an attitude when I called them out on it, even tried to make it seem as if it was my fault. The customer service desk spoke horrendous English, failed to give me a promised reimbursement for the taxi ride I had to take across town to meet the tour, and the guide was AWFUL. Other people on the tour had to actively move away from him because they were tired of hearing his voice. Moreover, too much time is wasted at the Summer Palace. The river cruise was alright but you could book that on your own.4
Review by: Edwin A, May 2018
Amazing history.
Review by: Ole P, May 2018
This tour was great! Donna was such a great and enthusiastic guide, who knew her history. It was also fun to visit her childhood town and temple. You will visit Bang-Pa in Palace and the ruins of Ayuttahaya, which was amazing. Thanks also to the driver of the bus and for providing cold water and refereshing towels on a hot day. _br/_ The river cruise back to Bangkok made the whole trip great, with fantastic buffet and view to the city.
Review by: farshid.nv, May 2018
Tour lead was very knowledgeable and nice. Everything else was really nice on this tour as planned.
Review by: Stephen A, May 2018
Time well spend in this lovely adventure. The best guide ever, a comfortable bus and a beautiful country. Highly recommended
Review by: Neil J, May 2018
Ayutthaya Temples was an amazing site, reminded us of when we visited Pompeii. The river cruise was a relaxing way to return to Bangkok and a delicious buffet lunch.
Review by: Izabela F, May 2018
It is a great day trip from Bangkok. You will have the guide to walk you through Ayutthaya temples, as well as Kings summer palace. Unfortunately for us, the traffic on the way there was huge due to the Thai New Year and we had to rush through the temples. although this was known before I am surprised earlier departure was not organised. The coach we were travelling in was in a poor condition. When we boarded as the last hotel we hat to sit at the back where there were no speakers and could not hear anything what the guide was saying. and the overall state of it was a bit shame. _br/_ The cruise back to Bangkok was great, the buffet lunch provided was really great and the ship was big and spacious so you could sit on the upper deck and admire the views as well as all the BKK monuments from a river view. _br/_ Overall, the trip is great and worth going to. Ayutthaya is a place you don't want to miss!
Review by: bpbennett7, April 2018
Excellent trip, wasted a bit of time having to go from hotel pick up to central bus area for larger bus tour. Do a was very good. The cruise was the perfect way to end the frip and see Bangkok from the river. The buffet son the boat was very good.
Review by: Daveen, April 2018
Amazing Tour! I was picked up at my hotel on time, we were shuttled to their main office and boarded the bigger bus. Very popular tour! Highly Recommend! Ayutthaya Temples were Amazing and I Really Enjoyed It! Our tour guide was great, she knows a lot of history of everything. She deterred us to shop at certain places, she advised us to wait until we got to a certain stop, because it was much better shopping. I heard other people on the bus saying the vendors paid her commission after anyone in our group bought anything. But the prices were good, not different then the other shopping places. The River Cruise back was Awesome! Buffett Lunch on the Cruise was Amazing! GREAT FOOD!
Review by: averylyu, April 2018
We enjoyed Michelle our guide and tour was well planned !
Review by: Omer Mahmut B, April 2018
Our tour guide was not good.....
Review by: amb723, April 2018
The 4 of us were so disappointed! too large of a group, forever to depart, old/uncomfortable bus, and we had a very hard time understanding the tour guide both due to her English level and malfunctioning mic. The biggest disappointment -only 30 minutes in Ayutthaya -time wasted at other stops.
Review by: Keith C, April 2018
Comprehensive tour of the temples and lazy ride back to Bangkok on the river.
Review by: xiomararodriguez.13, April 2018
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Paul G, April 2018
Although it was hot, the guide led us on a great tour through the interesting sights of Ayutthaya. After the warm day, the river cruise was a nice way to end the trip!
Review by: marit76, April 2018
I feel like all of the glowing reviews are a little misleading. You will spend almost no time at the Ayutthaya Temples, which is basically the entire point and the NAME of this tour. We spent less than 30 minutes at this beautiful site, in spite of the money and time invested to get there. Our guide spoke terrible English I say this with compassion, recognizing it is his second language, but we purchased this wanting and NEEDING an English speaking guide. There is NO information indicating how strict the dress code is at the Palace. All arms and legs need to be 100 covered, or you will be conned into buying clothing at the gift shop. You will spend hours on the bus. The river cruise is nice, the buffet is good, but these are not the main reasons we purchased this tour. Overall, the worst experience I have had with Viator. Would NOT recommend this to a friend or family member.
Review by: Gi P, April 2018
It was a great trip! They picked us up from the hotel on time, dropped us off at the meeting site so we can comfortably get on the bus. The bus ride was quite comfortable and the tour guide was experienced, knowledgeable and an excellent representation of Thai people i.e. friendly, kind, loves all living things, etc. with a great sense of humor. All the sites we visited reached beyond our expectations and the ferry ride at the end of the trip was a very memorable experience. I would have liked a bit more time at Ayutthaya ruins but overall, I'd recommend this tour to those who want to learn little bit of history of this beautiful country.
Review by: Stacey D, April 2018
Very little time actually spent at Ayutthaya
Review by: Geraldine J, April 2018
Had a fantastic time. Well done and got to experience seeing the sights without having to worry about anything else.
Review by: janetteno, April 2018
Enjoyed our day trip to Ayutthaya. Our guide was excellent with a good sense of humour. The river cruise back to Bangkok was excellent. The lunch was brilliant. Great day out of Bangkok.
Review by: Pamela V, March 2018
My daughter and I really enjoyed this tour. Our guide Donna is very proud of her country and its history and we learned quite a bit. The river cruise was a perfect way to end a hot day of touring the temples. I would definitely recommend for a first visit to Bangkok.
Review by: shiles49, March 2018
First problem with this tour is that the Viator info is incorrect! It states that your shoulders and knees must be covered so my husband wore long shorts and a golf shirt, I purchased a dress that had cap sleeves and covered my knees. However, at Bang Pa-in, long pants are required and sleeves must be almost to your elbow. So we, and many others on the tour, had to buy clothing from the vendors at the gate and wear them over top of what we had on. VIATOR - please POST ACCURATE INFORMATION!!!
Review by: Shivarama B, March 2018
Though the long trip to Ayutthaya tiresome and the day was very hot we all enjoyed the tour. Ayutthaya ruins are a must see. Our guide Dauna was very helpful and explained the history of the place in understandable way. She also had good humor. The return on the big boat cruise with a nice lunch on river Chao Phraya was very enjoyable. The entire trip was very educational and enjoyable.
Review by: Vishnu Vardhan R, December 2017
This was a very disappointing tour. The guide had a very strong accent, was hard to follow and kept rushing everybody. More importantly, he was more interested in telling jokes and sexual innuendos than actually covering the history and past of the beautiful ancient city. I learned more from reading the boards put up in the temples/ruins than from what he said. _br/_ The tour also first takes you to a palace called Bang Pa-In Royal palace. This is a total rip-off and waste of 2 hours of time. Nothing worth seeing there. You are better off picking a tour that only covers Ayutthaya. _br/_ The only saving grace was the nice cruise on the river and the amazing food they served on the way back.
Review by: James M, December 2017
This was a big group tour but we were given lots of freedom to walk ourselves and never felt restricted. The summer palace was beautiful and the temples were very interesting. The buffet lunch on the boat was delicious and it was a very relaxing end to the tour, we would highly recommend!
Review by: Connor K, December 2017
I loved this trip, a funny and informative guide who was always at hand for questions. Managed the group well and gave enough time to see all the sights. My only qualm was that perhaps the river cruise was slightly too long, but this cannot be helped!
Review by: Ricky L, December 2017
These temples are a must see and it was very convenient to go with this tour group with the knowledgeable guide. Very convenient being picked up and dropped off at my hotel.
Review by: markjwoodward, December 2017
This is highly recommended, although I would change one small detail: Almost everyone that I spoke with was disappointed with the amount of time spent at Ayutthaya, and wished that either one of the sites on this tour was deleted, or that less time was spent at the other locations so that more time could be spent exploring at Ayutthaya. Other than that, this tour was fantastic. The river cruise was a relaxing way to return to Bangkok, and the food was surprisingly good. Excellent value.
Review by: Christy, December 2017
We enjoyed our tour, and we had a great tour guide - Donna - who really made the tour! This tour is a good way to see the highlights of Ayuthaya in a day, while getting the relief from the heat in an air conditioned bus. The afternoon cruise is also picturesque and relaxing with a great lunch.
Review by: Guillermo Iñaki C, December 2017
The boat trip is spectacular, the timings within ayuthaya not so much 10 minutes in the main ruins and half and hour in a reclining buddha that could be visited in 5 minutes. good buses, good guides, and really nice places to visit
Review by: Gerald F, December 2017
A very informative and interesting tour. Getting all the tour people to the main bus was a bit time consuming but once tour began, it was beautiful and educational. The boat trip back was relaxing and scenic. Lunch on the river was very good.
Review by: Deirdre C, December 2017
I enjoyed this trip. Our guide was knowledgeable. The cruise back to Bangkok was fabulous although I thought the buffet lunch while plentiful was only so-so.
Review by: William R, December 2017
This one-day trip was a good way to get to see several important sights outside of Bangkok City without having to exert yourself. I had thought we would see principally the remains of the old capital, Ayuttaya, but we also toured the Summer Palace and several temples. As a result, I felt rushed all the time and would like to have had more time at the ruins. I also thought we would have more of an explanation about the various buildings and remains there. That said, we sure got to see a lot. The bus was fine, but be warned you have to step up and down the steps to the seating area many times during the tour. The cruise back was very nice, but I couldn't understand the announcements describing the sights over the noise from the ship. The buffet was very good, but we didn't eat until after 1:00, so it would have been good to have had a snack mid-morning the durian ice cream didn't suffice. Overall, I'm glad I took this tour and would recommend it.
Review by: Dominique S, December 2017
Interesting tour to the historical highlights around Bangkok with visits like royal summer palace and temples of Ayutthaya. The visited sites were interesting, but the time allocated for the Ayutthaya temples was way to short.
Review by: cristina.horjea, December 2017
Excellent day exploring the old capital of Siam! Would highly recommend this tour!
Review by: cristina.horjea, December 2017
Great day out exploring some incredible sights of the old capital of Siam! River cruise and food were amazing!
Review by: Toni M, November 2017
The reclining stone Buddha was incredible. The partial temples and statues were amazing. In my mind I could picture this area in its magnificence. The river cruise back to Bangkok was very nice and the buffet selections were varied and delicious. I am so pleased I took this tour
Review by: Eva S, November 2017
Big group, few time at stopps. Cruise back to Bangkok was nice, but food was only average.
Review by: Michael G, November 2017
Great tour , great value. Very informative guide.
Review by: Andrew U, November 2017
Ayutthaya is a must-see, not because there's actually a lot to see it's all ruins, but simply for the historical perspective. The hi-light of this tour for me was the river cruise on the way back. The lunch itself was average, but the entire experience was fun.
Review by: vittoria c, November 2017
I was a bit disappointed as the main reason I wanted to go to ayutthaya was to visit the historical parc. Instead we visited only the Wat Mahathat. For me the tour was completely unbalanced. Too many hours on the cruise (at 1pm we were already on the boat!) and very few time in the historical area._br/_ I would have preferred skipping the buffet (a packed lunch would have been ok), boarding at 2pm, arriving in BKK one hour later (5pm doesn't seem to me that late) and spend 1h more visiting another temple.
Review by: Tim M, November 2017
Like the sites visited but the tour felt a bit rushed. Also our guide, like many guides I have encountered, really liked to talk. When I only have 30 minutes to see a sight, I don't want to spend 15 of those listening to the tour guide talk by the entrance leavig me only a few minutes to actually walk around inside.
Review by: Amber M, November 2017
Great tour! We were running about 45 minutes late for the pickup spot, and they kindly waited at another location for us to meet there! Bangkok traffic is no joke!. Our tour guide was very funny, and provided a lot of great information regarding the temples we saw. He also kindly took several photos of my friend and I at the Ayutthaya temple. River cruise was great and a relaxing end to the trip! Food was delicious.
Review by: rosa e, November 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: manojay, November 2017
Write Says we will go to see_br/_ Wat Phra Si Sanphet part of the Ancient Royal Palace ruins, Wat Mongkhon Bophit, Wat Yai Chai Mongkol and Wat Phanan Choeng, known for its gilded seated Buddha statue.
Review by: Leni.Hester, November 2017
Our day for the tour began early but the hotel pick up was convenient and easy. Our guide did a great job. His English was excellent and he was informative and humorous through the day. I was impressed with how many different places we got to see. _br/_ It was a little disappointing that the reclining Buddha was being worked on when we were there, but it was still interesting to see. I was annoyed because the hawkers were quite aggressive and one was muttering and giving me dirty looks when I didnt purchase anything, but certainly not the tour companies fault. _br/_ Ayutthaya was the highlight with stunning statuary and a beautiful setting. I felt like we were given enough time to enjoy each stop, though the very steep steps on the bus got a little tiring after a while._br/_ The boat ride was very enjoyable, though I had hoped that it would be more rural and we would see some beautiful scenery. It was more in the city than anything. The buffet was not spectacular, but it was good. _br/_ As a bonus, we saw a crocodile and a kimodo dragon! All in all an excellent, though long, day.
Review by: k.aylambert89, November 2017
Great sights but let down by the tour guide and the large size of the group. We got picked up in an air conditioned mini bus and then onto an air conditioned but run down coach with about 25 others to Ayutthaya. The coach took around an hour and on the way the tour guide explained the history of Ayutthaya but it was very difficult to make out what was being said due to her low voice and poor microphone._br/_ We visited several excellent sites but it was massively let down by the the tour guide only talking to a small group near her and walking off and starting explaining before we had all reached the same area. With there being over 25 of us it was impossible for us all to hear.
Review by: Shirls, November 2017
Really wasn't what I was expecting at all. I know it was peak tourist season, but as compared to the tour I just had one day before, this one was rather badly organised.
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